1. Technical Field
The present invention is concerned with methods of adjusting or fine-tuning the properties of compositions comprising a polymer(s) with a hygroscopic salt dispersed within the polymer.
2. Description of Related Art
Polymer nanocomposites have been the subject of intense research in recent years. Through the successful incorporation of nanofillers and other nanostructures, polymer nanocomposites have demonstrated advanced material properties including reinforcement, thermal, flame, moisture, and chemical resistance, charge dissipation, barrier/gas transport properties, electrical conductivity and resistance, among others. The high surface area of nanofillers, and thereby their enhanced polymer interfaces, likely contributes to the observed novel and advanced properties. However, the mechanistic details by which reinforcement and other extraordinary properties occur, as well as the exact nature of the interactions between the nanofiller and their polymer matrix are not well understood. In fact, the properties observed in nanocomposites have been divergent, ranging broadly from being reinforcing to plasticizing. In some cases, the glass transition temperatures of polymer nanocomposites increase, decrease, remain unaffected, or additional/new glass transitions are formed, compared to the unmodified host polymer. Thus, given the unpredictable nature of nanocomposite technology, improvements are still desired.